The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's)
Encyclopedia
The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) was an infantry regiment of the British Army
, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles
.
when he expanded the size of the army in response to the Monmouth Rebellion
. On 20 June 1685 Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon
was issued with a warrant authorising him to raise a regiment, and accordingly the Earl of Huntingdon's Regiment of Foot was formed, mainly recruiting in the county of Buckinghamshire
.
came to the throne in the Glorious Revolution
of 1688. Fernando Hastings took over the colonecy of the regiment, which accordingly became Hastings's Regiment of Foot. Hastings's Regiment first saw action at the Battle of Killiecrankie
, where they failed to halt the advance of Jacobite rebels, although they were later defeated at the Battle of Dunkeld
. The regiment acconpanied William to Ireland
in the following year, fighting in the decisive Williamite victories at the Boyne
and Cork
.
, and in 1694 took part in the disastrous amphibious assault at Camaret on the French coast. In 1695 Colonel Fernando Hastings was found guilty of extortion, and dismissed. Sir John Jacob
became the colonel, and it was as Jacob's Regiment of Foot that they returned to England at the end of the war
in 1697.
s. With the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession
, the Earl of Barrymore's Regiment of Foot saw action at the sieges or battles of Kaiserwerth
, Venlo
, Roermond
, Huy
, Limburg
and Liège
.
In 1704 Barrymore's Regiment moved to the Iberian Peninsula
taking part in the defence of the recently-captured Gibraltar
(1704–05) and the Siege of Barcelona
(1705). In 1706 the bulk of the regiment was converted into a regiment of dragoons due to a shortage of cavalry. Barrymore returned to England with a small cadre where the regiment was re-raised, returning to Spain. The unit fought at the Battle of Almanza (1707), Battle of Caya (1709), Battle of Tortosa (1711) and the Battle of St Mateo (1711). In 1711 the regiment started a long period of garrison duty at Gibraltar. In 1715 they became Cotton's Regiment of Foot when Stanhope Cotton succeeded Barrymore.
. The regiment returned to England in the following year. It remained there until 1742, with the name changing with the colonelcy: Kerr's Regiment of Foot (Lord Mark Kerr) in 1725, Middleton's Regiment of Foot (Brigadier-General John Middleton) in 1732 and Pulteney's Regiment of Foot (General Harry Pulteney
) in 1739.
and Austrian force that secured a victory over the French at the Battle of Dettingen
in June 1743. In May 1745 the situation was reversed when they were part of the allied army decisively defeated at the Battle of Fontenoy
.
to suppress the Jacobite Rising of 1745
. They formed part of the defeated forces at the Battle of Falkirk
in January 1746. Three months later they took part in the final defeat of the Jacobites in Culloden
.
or Val (July 1747). In both cases the allied forces were defeated by the French. The regiment returned to England in 1747, and the war was formally ended by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
in 1748.
The redesignated 13th Foot entered a thirty year period of garrison service in England, Ireland, Gibraltar and Minorca.
broke out, widening into war with France from 1778 and Spain
in 1779. The 13th Foot sailed for the West Indies, arriving in Barbados
. They saw little active service, returning to England in 1782, moving on to Ireland in 1783.
, Henry Seymour Conway
, issued a regulation giving an English county designation to each regiment of foot other than those with a royal title or highland
regiments. The intention was to improve recruitment during the unpopular war, and the Secretary at War
, Thomas Townshend
issued a circular letter to the lieutenants of each county in England
in the following terms:
The regiment duly became the 13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot (the 40th Foot
becoming the "2nd Somersetshire"). The attempt to link regimental areas to specific counties was found to be impractical, with regiments preferring to recruit from major centres of population. By June 1783 each regiment was again recruiting throughout the country, although the county names were to remain.
. In 1793 Britain was again at war with France
, this time with the revolutionary régime. The 13th Foot landed in the French colony of Saint-Domingue
where the Haitian Revolution
was in progress.
Returning to Ireland in 1797 and England in 1799, the 13th were next engaged in a series of minor coastal assaults on the Spanish coast in 1800.
In 1801 the regiment sailed to Egypt to help repel the French invasion force. The 13th took part in the Siege of Alexandria. In 1802 the regiment was awarded the badge of a sphinx
superscribed "Egypt" for display on the regimental colours in commemoration of the campaign.
A temporary end to hostilities with France came in March 1802, with the signing of the Treaty of Amiens
. The 13th Foot left Egypt in that month, sailing to Malta
where they were stationed for a year, before moving to Gibraltar. In 1805 the regiment returned to England. After occupying various stations in the south of the country, the 13th sailed for Ireland
in May 1807. The regiment was brought up to full strength by an intake of volunteers from the Irish militia
, and sailed to Bermuda
, arriving in March 1808. The regiment lost large numbers of men to disease while on the island. War had agin broken out with France, and the 13th Foot formed part of the force that invaded and occupied the French colony of Martinique
in January and February 1809.
. In the following year the 13th Foot left Martinique for Quebec
, from whence they proceeded to protect the frontiers of Upper Canada
. The regiment crossed the St Lawrence River and took part in minor actions around Plattsburgh and Lake Champlain
. The war concluded in 1815, and the 13th Foot returned to England in July of that year.
The regiment spent the next few years on garrison duty in Jersey
, Guernsey
, England, Scotland and Ireland.
In September 1822 the 13th Foot was moved to Chatham
in Kent
, where it was brought up to strength for service in India
. While there, it was reconstituted as light infantry
regiment in December and was retitled as the 13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment (Light Infantry).
in May and June 1823. Soon after arrival, Burmese forces attacked Cachar, a territory under British protection. War was formally declared on 5 March 1824, and the 13th took part in the campaign that lasted until February 1826, when a treaty was signed, with the King of Ava agreeing to cede territory and pay compensation to the British East India Company
.
The 13th Light Infantry returned to garrison duty in India. Over the years 1826 to 1838 they were stationed in Baharampur
, Danapur
, Agra
and Karnal
.
occupied the Herat
region of Afghanistan
. The British, who feared Russian intervention in the area, decided to remove the emir of Afghanistan, Dost Muhammad, and to replace him with a pro-British monarch, Shuja Shah Durrani
. Accordingly, an expeditionary force, known as the "Army of the Indus", was formed. The 13th Light Infantry formed part of the invasion force, joining the other units in November 1838. The army passed into Afghanistan in March 1839, taking Kandahar
in April without resistance. The 13th took part in the decisive victory at Ghazni
in July 1839. The British initially achieved their objective of enthroning Shuja in August 1839. The 13th formed part of the occupation force that attempted to enforce the rule of the new monarch, but in October 1841 a popular uprising against Shuja broke out. The 13th found itself engaged in operations against the rebels who had overthrown Shuja and taken the capital, Kabul
. In November 1841 the regiment was forced to retreat to the fortified town of Jalalabad
.
The town was soon encircled, leading to a lengthy siege
. In April of the following year the garrison, under the command of Sir Robert Sale
of the 13th broke the siege and defeated the afghan forces under Akbar Khan
. Although the war, which ended in October 1842 with the return of the Army of the Indus to India, was essentially a reverse for the British forces, battle honours and campaign medals were awarded.
with a scroll inscribed "Jellalabad" was granted for disply on the colours and uniform of the regiment. The unit was also honoured with the firing of a twenty-one gun salute at each army station it passed on its return to India.
The 13th Light Infantry returned to England in 1845 after 23 years of foreign service. Presented with new colours at Portsmouth
in 1846, the regiment moved to Ireland in the following year, remaining there until 1850, before spending a year in Scotland. From 1851–1854 they were stationed in Gibraltar.
as part of the Anglo-French forces conducting a campaign against the Russians. They took part in the Siege of Sevastopol, and remained in the area after the ending of hostilities in February 1856, subsequently sailing to South Africa
.
broke out. Reinforcements were requested, and the 13th arrived at Kolkata in October 1857. They took part in some minor actions.
in January 1858. The two battalions, while sharing a depot, operated as separate units.
The 1st Battalion saw active service in South Africa, fighting in the Ninth Xhosa War
of 1878 and Anglo-Zulu War
of 1879.
Under the localisation scheme
of 1873 introduced by Edward Cardwell
, Secretary of State for War
, the United Kingdom
was divided into 68 sub-districts for the recruitment of the infantry of the line. Each sub-district was a defined geographical area, and was allocated two regular infantry battalions, one of which was to be on foreign and one on home service at any one time. At the same time the county militia battalions of the sub-district were linked to the regular infantry. In each sub-district a new permanent depot was to be established. The 13th Light Infantry's recruitment area was to be the county of Somerset
which was designated the "36th Sub-District", with a depot to be built at Taunton
.
The red brick Jellallabad Barracks was built between 1879 and 1881. It was designed by the Army Divisional Surveyor Thomas Berry. The gatehouse tower which is known as The Keep is now a Grade II listed building.
, in 1881. Under these reforms
, infantry regiments ceased to bear numbers and were instead known by "territorial" or royal titles only. The 13th Foot accordingly became Prince Albert's Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) on 1 July 1881. As the county regiment of Somersetshire, it also gained the county's militia and rifle volunteer
battalions which were integrated into the regiment as numbered battalions. Within months the regiment had been retitled to Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry).
On formation the regiment had the following battalions:
The two regular battalions continued the system of alternating between home and foreign stations:
of 1885 to 1887. Following an initial invasion, the battalion spent two years broken up into small groups pacifying the inhabitants of the country. Whil the unit lost only 17 men in combat, 150 were to die from disease.
During its period in India, the 1st Battalion was mostly stationed in the North West Frontier Province, and took part in First Mohmand Campaign
of 1897.
and the Boer
Republics of South Africa
. The 2nd Battalion landed in the Cape in December 1899, and was part of the British forces defeated at the Battle of Spion Kop
in January 1900. In February of the same year the battalion helped to relieve the siege of Ladysmith
. They spent the remainder of the conflict taking part in a number of minor actions.
, Secretary of State for War reorganised these second-line units of the army as part of a larger series of reforms. The existing militia was reduced in size and redesignated as the "Special Reserve", while the Volunteer Force
was merged with the Yeomanry
to from a new Territorial Force
, organised into 14 infantry divisions, liable for service in wartime.
The changes were carried out under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907
, and came into effect on 1 April 1908. From that date the existing 3rd (Militia) Battalion was transferred to the Special Reserve, while the 4th Battalion was disbanded. The three volunteer battalions were organised and reduced to two Territorial Force battalions: the 4th based in Bath and the 5th in Taunton.
The Regiment saw active service in the First World War
, raising 20 battalions, and seeing service on the Western Front, Mesopotamia
(now Iraq
) and Palestine
. The new battalions were formed by the dupication of the existing Territorial Force units or by the formation of new "service" battalions.
(1928–1930) and India from 1930.
The 2nd Battalion, which had spent the entire war in India, fought in the brief Third Anglo-Afghan War
in 1919 seeing active service in Afghanistan and on the North-West Frontier. Returning to India in 1920, the battalion moved to the Sudan in 1926 and England in 1927.
The Territorial Force was reorganised to become the Territorial Army in 1920, and the 4th and 5th Battalions were reconstituted. At the same time the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion was placed in "suspended animation", and was never again embodied.
On 1 January 1921 the regimental title was changed a final time to The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's).
, the Regiment raised ten battalions, six of which saw service overseas. In addition to the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions, the existing 4th and 5th Territorial Battalions formed duplicate units in 1939: the 6th and 7th Battalions. The 9th, 10th and 11th (Holding) Battalions were raised in 1940, the 30th Battalion in 1941 and the 50th (Holding) Batttalion in 1940.
The 2nd and 30th Battalions formed part of the First Army, and fought in North Africa
and Italy
. The 1st Battalion fought in Burma
and the 4th and 7th Battalions in the North-West European Campaign after the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. The other battalion to see active service was the 10th Battalion which was converted into the 7th (Light Infantry) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in 1942 and who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. The Regiment also had responsibility for local airfields including RNAS Charlton Horethorne, where they prepared trenches, hardpoints and machine gun positions.
The 1st Battalion was the last British infantry battalion to leave India
after its independence, departing on 28 February 1948. During the final ceremony, the battalion marched through Bombay (now Mumbai
) and received a guard of honour from the newly formed Indian Army
at the Gateway of India
. The 2nd Battalion ended the war in Greece, subsequently forming part of the Allied occupation force of Austria. The two regular battalions both returned to the United Kingdom where they were amalgamated into a single 1st Battalion on 28 June 1948. This was part of a general reduction in the size of the infantry following Indian independence.
The reconstituted 1st Battalion was stationed in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine
from 1951–1953. From 1952–1955 it formed part of the British forces fighting in the Malayan Emergency
, where it took part in jungle warfare
. In its final years the battalion was involved in a number of conflicts: the anti-tank platoon formed part of the Anglo-French force that intervened in the Suez Crisis
of 1956. The majority of the battalion were in Cyprus
, where a nationalist uprising against British rule
had broken out. In 1957 they returned to Germany.
In 1947 the Territorial Army was reconstituted, and the 4th Battalion was reformed. The 5th Battalion was temporarily converted to a unit of the Royal Artillery
at the same time, but three years later was absorbed by the 4th Battalion.
in 1959 to form the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
. This, in turn, amalgamated with the three other regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade
to form The Light Infantry
in 1968.
The final Chapter of the Somerset Light Infantry ended on the 1st February 2007 when along with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, the Light Infantry, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets merged to form the RIFLES
The Regiment's history is exhibited at the Somerset Military Museum
which is a part of the Somerset County Museum
at Taunton Castle
.
s for display on the colours:
Displayed on the regimental colours
First World War
Battle honours in bold were selected for display on the King's/Queen's Colours.
Second World War
Battle honours in bold were selected for display on the King's/Queen's Colours.
of 1751 first regulated the facing colours of the "Marching Regiments of Foot". Those of the 13th Foot or Lieutenant-General Pulteney's Regiment was given as "philemot" yellow, a description repeated in the next clothing regulation of 1768. "Philemot" was a corruption of the French
feuille morte or "dead leaf", a shade of yellow approximating to that of a faded (Autumn) leaf. When the 13th Foot was given the title "Prince Albert's" in 1842 it became a "royal" regiment, and the facings were changed to dark blue. The braid and lace worn on officers' coats was silver until 1830 and thereafter gold. It had a black line threaded through it.
head-dress was a "bugle-horn with strings with the numerals 13 in the centre and surmounted by the Sphinx". When a new model of shako was adopted in 1844 a mural crown and scroll inscribed "Jellalabad" were added. Similar devices were used on the plate of the home service helmet adopted in 1878. In 1898, when khaki
service dress was introduced, a metal badge was designed for the new slouch hat
. This consisted of a bugle surmounted by a mural crown above which was a scroll inscribed "Jellalabad". The cypher "PA" for Prince Albert was placed within the strings of the bugle horn. This remained the regiment's cap badge on various forms of head-dress until amalgamation.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, which served under various titles from 1685 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles
The Rifles
The Rifles is the largest regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of five regular and two territorial battalions, plus a number of companies in other TA battalions, Each battalion of the Rifles was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the Light...
.
Formation
The regiment was one of nine regiments of foot raised by James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
when he expanded the size of the army in response to the Monmouth Rebellion
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...
. On 20 June 1685 Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon
Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon
Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon PC was an English politician. He was the son of Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon, born in the 27th year of his parents' marriage, and became Earl of Huntingdon on 13 February 1656 on his father's death...
was issued with a warrant authorising him to raise a regiment, and accordingly the Earl of Huntingdon's Regiment of Foot was formed, mainly recruiting in the county of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
Jacobite wars
The regiment remained in existence when William IIIWilliam III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
came to the throne in the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
of 1688. Fernando Hastings took over the colonecy of the regiment, which accordingly became Hastings's Regiment of Foot. Hastings's Regiment first saw action at the Battle of Killiecrankie
Battle of Killiecrankie
-References:*Reid, Stuart, The Battle of Kiellliecrankkie -External links:* *...
, where they failed to halt the advance of Jacobite rebels, although they were later defeated at the Battle of Dunkeld
Battle of Dunkeld
The Battle of Dunkeld was fought between Jacobite clans supporting the deposed king James VII of Scotland and a government regiment of covenanters supporting William of Orange, King of Scotland, in the streets around Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunkeld, Scotland, on 21 August 1689 and formed part of the...
. The regiment acconpanied William to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the following year, fighting in the decisive Williamite victories at the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
and Cork
Siege of Cork
The Siege of Cork took place during the Williamite war in Ireland in the year of 1690, shortly after the Battle of the Boyne when James II attempted to retake the English throne from King William III....
.
Nine Years' War
The Jacobite struggles in Scotland and Ireland were part of a wider European conflict which became known as the Nine Years' War. In 1692 Hastings' Regiment sailed to FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, and in 1694 took part in the disastrous amphibious assault at Camaret on the French coast. In 1695 Colonel Fernando Hastings was found guilty of extortion, and dismissed. Sir John Jacob
Jacob Baronets
The Jacob Baronetcy, of Bromley in the County of Middlesex, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 11 January 1665 for John Jacob, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to his brother Robert Jacob and the heirs male of his body. The title was in recognition of his...
became the colonel, and it was as Jacob's Regiment of Foot that they returned to England at the end of the war
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
in 1697.
War of the Spanish Succession
After a period of garrison duty in Ireland, Jacob's Regiment returned to Flanders in 1701. In the following year the colonelcy again changed, with Sir John Jacob choosing to retire. He sold the colonelcy to his brother-in-law, Lieutenant-General James Barry, 4th Earl of Barrymore, for 1,400 guineaGuinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
s. With the outbreak of the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
, the Earl of Barrymore's Regiment of Foot saw action at the sieges or battles of Kaiserwerth
Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth
Kaiserswerth is one of the oldest parts of the City of Düsseldorf. It is in the north of the city and next to the river Rhine. It houses the Deaconess's Institute of Kaiserswerth where Florence Nightingale studied....
, Venlo
Venlo
Venlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
, Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, Huy
Huy
Huy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the sillon industriel, the former industrial backbone of Wallonia, home to about two-thirds of the Walloon population...
, Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
and Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
.
In 1704 Barrymore's Regiment moved to the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
taking part in the defence of the recently-captured Gibraltar
Capture of Gibraltar
The Capture of Gibraltar by the Anglo-Dutch forces of the Grand Alliance occurred between 1–3 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Since the beginning of the war the Allies had been looking for a harbour in the Iberian Peninsula to control the Strait of Gibraltar and facilitate...
(1704–05) and the Siege of Barcelona
Siege of Barcelona
The Siege of Barcelona was a battle at the end of the War of Spanish Succession , which pitted Archduke Charles of Austria The Siege of Barcelona was a battle at the end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714), which pitted Archduke Charles of Austria The Siege of Barcelona was a battle at...
(1705). In 1706 the bulk of the regiment was converted into a regiment of dragoons due to a shortage of cavalry. Barrymore returned to England with a small cadre where the regiment was re-raised, returning to Spain. The unit fought at the Battle of Almanza (1707), Battle of Caya (1709), Battle of Tortosa (1711) and the Battle of St Mateo (1711). In 1711 the regiment started a long period of garrison duty at Gibraltar. In 1715 they became Cotton's Regiment of Foot when Stanhope Cotton succeeded Barrymore.
Anglo-Spanish War
When war broke out with Spain in 1727, Cotton's were part of the force that resisted the Spanish Siege of GibraltarSiege of Gibraltar (1727)
The Siege of Gibraltar of 1727 saw Spanish forces besiege the British garrison of Gibraltar as part of the Anglo-Spanish War. Depending on the sources, Spanish troops were between 12,000 and 25,000. British defenders were 1,500 at the beginning of the siege, increasing up to about 5,000...
. The regiment returned to England in the following year. It remained there until 1742, with the name changing with the colonelcy: Kerr's Regiment of Foot (Lord Mark Kerr) in 1725, Middleton's Regiment of Foot (Brigadier-General John Middleton) in 1732 and Pulteney's Regiment of Foot (General Harry Pulteney
Harry Pulteney
General Harry Pulteney was an English soldier and Member of Parliament.He was the younger son of Colonel William Pulteney, of Misterton in Leicestershire, and Mary Floyd...
) in 1739.
War of the Austrian Succession
In 1742 Pulteney's Regiment sailed to Flanders, and in the following year was part of the joint British, HanoverianElectorate of Hanover
The Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the ninth Electorate of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation...
and Austrian force that secured a victory over the French at the Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dettingen
The Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch personally led his troops into battle...
in June 1743. In May 1745 the situation was reversed when they were part of the allied army decisively defeated at the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
.
The "Forty Five"
In 1745 Pulteney's Regiment returned to Britain, moving to ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to suppress the Jacobite Rising of 1745
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
. They formed part of the defeated forces at the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk (1746)
During the Second Jacobite Rising, the Battle of Falkirk Muir was the last noteworthy Jacobite success.-Background:...
in January 1746. Three months later they took part in the final defeat of the Jacobites in Culloden
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Taking place on 16 April 1746, the battle pitted the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart against an army commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, loyal to the British government...
.
Return to Europe
Following the ending of the Jacobite rising, Pulteney's Regiment returned to Flanders, where they fought at the Battle of Roucoux (October 1746) and the Battle of LauffeldBattle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession...
or Val (July 1747). In both cases the allied forces were defeated by the French. The regiment returned to England in 1747, and the war was formally ended by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
in 1748.
13th Regiment of Foot
By the late seventeenth century, each regiment of the standing army had been alloted a "rank" in the order of precedence. These numbers came to be increasingly used until a royal warrant of 1751 decreed that regiments should in future be known by their numbers only. Accordingly Pulteney's Regiment became the 13th Regiment of Foot.The redesignated 13th Foot entered a thirty year period of garrison service in England, Ireland, Gibraltar and Minorca.
American Revolutionary War
In 1775 the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
broke out, widening into war with France from 1778 and Spain
Spain in the American Revolutionary War
Spain actively supported the Thirteen Colonies throughout the American Revolutionary War, beginning in 1776 by jointly funding Roderigue Hortalez and Company, a trading company that provided critical military supplies, through financing the final Siege of Yorktown in 1781 with a collection of gold...
in 1779. The 13th Foot sailed for the West Indies, arriving in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. They saw little active service, returning to England in 1782, moving on to Ireland in 1783.
13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
It was this time that the regiment's link to Somerset was first formed. On 21 August 1782, the Commander-in-Chief of the ForcesCommander-in-Chief of the Forces
The Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, or just the Commander-in-Chief , was the professional head of the British Army from 1660 until 1904, when the office was replaced by the Chief of the General Staff, soon to become Chief of the Imperial General Staff . From 1870, the C-in-C was subordinate to...
, Henry Seymour Conway
Henry Seymour Conway
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession and eventually rose to the rank of Field Marshal .-Family and education:Conway was...
, issued a regulation giving an English county designation to each regiment of foot other than those with a royal title or highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
regiments. The intention was to improve recruitment during the unpopular war, and the Secretary at War
Secretary at War
The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. It was occasionally a cabinet level position, although...
, Thomas Townshend
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC , was a British politician who held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century...
issued a circular letter to the lieutenants of each county in England
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
in the following terms:
My Lord,
The very great deficiency of men in the regiments of infantry being so very detrimental to the public service, the king has thought proper to give the names of the different counties to the old corps, in hopes that, by the zeal and activity of the principal nobility and gentry in the several counties, some considerable assistance may be given towards recruiting these regiments".
The regiment duly became the 13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot (the 40th Foot
40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
The 40th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1717 and amalgamated into The Prince of Wales's Volunteers in 1881.-Formation:...
becoming the "2nd Somersetshire"). The attempt to link regimental areas to specific counties was found to be impractical, with regiments preferring to recruit from major centres of population. By June 1783 each regiment was again recruiting throughout the country, although the county names were to remain.
French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
In 1790 the regiment sailed to JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. In 1793 Britain was again at war with France
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, this time with the revolutionary régime. The 13th Foot landed in the French colony of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
where the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
was in progress.
Returning to Ireland in 1797 and England in 1799, the 13th were next engaged in a series of minor coastal assaults on the Spanish coast in 1800.
In 1801 the regiment sailed to Egypt to help repel the French invasion force. The 13th took part in the Siege of Alexandria. In 1802 the regiment was awarded the badge of a sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
superscribed "Egypt" for display on the regimental colours in commemoration of the campaign.
A temporary end to hostilities with France came in March 1802, with the signing of the Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens
The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and the United Kingdom during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was signed in the city of Amiens on 25 March 1802 , by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquess Cornwallis as a "Definitive Treaty of Peace"...
. The 13th Foot left Egypt in that month, sailing to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
where they were stationed for a year, before moving to Gibraltar. In 1805 the regiment returned to England. After occupying various stations in the south of the country, the 13th sailed for Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in May 1807. The regiment was brought up to full strength by an intake of volunteers from the Irish militia
Militia (United Kingdom)
The Militia of the United Kingdom were the military reserve forces of the United Kingdom after the Union in 1801 of the former Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland....
, and sailed to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, arriving in March 1808. The regiment lost large numbers of men to disease while on the island. War had agin broken out with France, and the 13th Foot formed part of the force that invaded and occupied the French colony of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in January and February 1809.
War with the United States
In 1812 the war had widened to include the United States of AmericaWar of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. In the following year the 13th Foot left Martinique for Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, from whence they proceeded to protect the frontiers of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. The regiment crossed the St Lawrence River and took part in minor actions around Plattsburgh and Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
. The war concluded in 1815, and the 13th Foot returned to England in July of that year.
The regiment spent the next few years on garrison duty in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, England, Scotland and Ireland.
13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment (Light Infantry)
Chatham, Medway
Chatham is one of the Medway towns located within the Medway unitary authority, in North Kent, in South East England.Although the dockyard has long been closed and is now being redeveloped into a business and residential community as well as a museum featuring the famous submarine, HMS Ocelot,...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where it was brought up to strength for service in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. While there, it was reconstituted as light infantry
Light infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
regiment in December and was retitled as the 13th (1st Somersetshire) Regiment (Light Infantry).
First Anglo-Burmese War
The 13th Light Infantry arrived in KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
in May and June 1823. Soon after arrival, Burmese forces attacked Cachar, a territory under British protection. War was formally declared on 5 March 1824, and the 13th took part in the campaign that lasted until February 1826, when a treaty was signed, with the King of Ava agreeing to cede territory and pay compensation to the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
.
The 13th Light Infantry returned to garrison duty in India. Over the years 1826 to 1838 they were stationed in Baharampur
Baharampur
Baharampur is a city in the West Bengal state of India. Baharampur is the sixth largest city in West Bengal and situated in central part of West Bengal. Baharampur is nominated for becoming the municipal corporation...
, Danapur
Danapur
Danapur , sometimes known as Dinapur or Dinapore is a satellite town of Patna in Bihar state of India. It is located on the bank of the River Sone which merges with River Ganges at Digha a few kilometers from Danapur...
, Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
and Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
.
First Anglo-Afghan War
In 1837 Persian troops, allied to the RussiansRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
occupied the Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
region of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The British, who feared Russian intervention in the area, decided to remove the emir of Afghanistan, Dost Muhammad, and to replace him with a pro-British monarch, Shuja Shah Durrani
Shuja Shah Durrani
Shuja Shah Durrani was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1803 to 1809. He then ruled from 1839 until his death in 1842. Shuja Shah was of the Sadozai line of the Abdali group of Pashtuns...
. Accordingly, an expeditionary force, known as the "Army of the Indus", was formed. The 13th Light Infantry formed part of the invasion force, joining the other units in November 1838. The army passed into Afghanistan in March 1839, taking Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
in April without resistance. The 13th took part in the decisive victory at Ghazni
Battle of Ghazni
The Battle of Ghazni took place in city of Ghazni in central Afghanistan on July 23, 1839 during the First Anglo-Afghan War.-Prelude:...
in July 1839. The British initially achieved their objective of enthroning Shuja in August 1839. The 13th formed part of the occupation force that attempted to enforce the rule of the new monarch, but in October 1841 a popular uprising against Shuja broke out. The 13th found itself engaged in operations against the rebels who had overthrown Shuja and taken the capital, Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. In November 1841 the regiment was forced to retreat to the fortified town of Jalalabad
Jalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
.
The town was soon encircled, leading to a lengthy siege
Battle of Jellalabad
The Battle of Jellalabad in 1842 was an Afghan siege of the isolated British outpost at Jellalabad about 80 miles east of Kabul...
. In April of the following year the garrison, under the command of Sir Robert Sale
Robert Henry Sale
Major General Sir Robert Henry Sale GCB was a British Army officer who commanded the garrison of Jalalabad during the First Afghan War and was killed in action during the First Anglo-Sikh War....
of the 13th broke the siege and defeated the afghan forces under Akbar Khan
Akbar Khan
Amir Akbar Khan Amir Akbar Khan Amir Akbar Khan (1816 – 1846;, born as Mohammad Akbar Khan and famously known as Wazir Akbar Khan, was an Afghan Prince, a general, a tribal leader and Emir. He was active in the First Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1839 to 1842...
. Although the war, which ended in October 1842 with the return of the Army of the Indus to India, was essentially a reverse for the British forces, battle honours and campaign medals were awarded.
13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot
The conduct of the 13th at Jalalabad was officially rewarded on 26 August 1842, when Prince Albert offered his patronage to the regiment and permitted his name to be used in its title, becoming the 13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot. At the same time, the regimental facings were changed from yellow to (royal) blue, and the badge of a mural crownMural crown
-Usage in ancient times:In Hellenistic culture, a mural crown identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna...
with a scroll inscribed "Jellalabad" was granted for disply on the colours and uniform of the regiment. The unit was also honoured with the firing of a twenty-one gun salute at each army station it passed on its return to India.
The 13th Light Infantry returned to England in 1845 after 23 years of foreign service. Presented with new colours at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in 1846, the regiment moved to Ireland in the following year, remaining there until 1850, before spending a year in Scotland. From 1851–1854 they were stationed in Gibraltar.
Crimean War
In 1854 the regiment was brought up to full strength, and in June of the following year landed in the CrimeaCrimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
as part of the Anglo-French forces conducting a campaign against the Russians. They took part in the Siege of Sevastopol, and remained in the area after the ending of hostilities in February 1856, subsequently sailing to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Return to India
In May 1857 the Indian MutinyIndian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
broke out. Reinforcements were requested, and the 13th arrived at Kolkata in October 1857. They took part in some minor actions.
Formation of second battalion
The British Army had been shown to be overstretched by the Crimean War, while the mutiny in India had led to the responsibility for providing a garrison in the subcontinent from the Honourable East India Company to the Crown forces. Accordingly there was a need for an expansion and reorganisation of the existing regiments. Rather than raising new infantry regiments, the senior regiments of foot were each ordered to raise a second battalion, with the existing regiment being redesignated as the 1st Battalion. The 2nd Battalion of the 13th Light Infantry was raised at WinchesterWinchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
in January 1858. The two battalions, while sharing a depot, operated as separate units.
| 1st Battalion | 2nd Battalion |
|---|---|
| India 1858–1864 | England 1858–1859, South Africa 1859–1863 |
| England 1864–1866 | Mauritius 1863–1867 |
| Ireland 1866–1867 | |
| Gibraltar 1867–1872 | England 1867–1871 |
| Malta 1872–1874 | Ireland 1871–1875 |
| South Africa 1874–1879 | Scotland 1875–1876, England 1876–1877 |
| England 1879–1881 | Malta 1877–1877, South Africa 1878–1881 |
The 1st Battalion saw active service in South Africa, fighting in the Ninth Xhosa War
Xhosa wars
The Xhosa Wars, also known as the Cape Frontier Wars, were a series of nine wars between the Xhosa people and European settlers, from 1779 to 1879 in what is now the Eastern Cape in South Africa....
of 1878 and Anglo-Zulu War
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom.Following the imperialist scheme by which Lord Carnarvon had successfully brought about federation in Canada, it was thought that a similar plan might succeed with the various African kingdoms, tribal areas and...
of 1879.
Jellalabad Barracks
Cardwell Reforms
The Cardwell Reforms refer to a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
of 1873 introduced by Edward Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell PC, PC , FRS was a prominent British politician in the Peelite and Liberal parties during the middle of the 19th century...
, Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was divided into 68 sub-districts for the recruitment of the infantry of the line. Each sub-district was a defined geographical area, and was allocated two regular infantry battalions, one of which was to be on foreign and one on home service at any one time. At the same time the county militia battalions of the sub-district were linked to the regular infantry. In each sub-district a new permanent depot was to be established. The 13th Light Infantry's recruitment area was to be the county of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
which was designated the "36th Sub-District", with a depot to be built at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
.
The red brick Jellallabad Barracks was built between 1879 and 1881. It was designed by the Army Divisional Surveyor Thomas Berry. The gatehouse tower which is known as The Keep is now a Grade II listed building.
Childers reforms
The reorganisation begun by Cardwell in 1873 was carried to their logical conclusion by his successor, Hugh ChildersHugh Childers
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers was a British and Australian Liberal statesman of the nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for his reform efforts at the Admiralty and the War Office...
, in 1881. Under these reforms
Childers Reforms
The Childers Reforms restructured the infantry regiments of the British army. The reforms were undertaken by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers in 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell reforms....
, infantry regiments ceased to bear numbers and were instead known by "territorial" or royal titles only. The 13th Foot accordingly became Prince Albert's Light Infantry (Somersetshire Regiment) on 1 July 1881. As the county regiment of Somersetshire, it also gained the county's militia and rifle volunteer
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
battalions which were integrated into the regiment as numbered battalions. Within months the regiment had been retitled to Prince Albert's (Somersetshire Light Infantry).
On formation the regiment had the following battalions:
- 1st Battalion (formerly 1st Battalion, 13th Foot)
- 2nd Battalion (formerly 2nd Battalion, 13th Foot)
- 3rd Battalion (formerly 1st Somersetshire Light Infantry Militia)
- 4th Battalion (formerly 2nd Somersetshire Light Infantry Militia)
- 1st Volunteer Battalion (formerly 1st Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps)
- 2nd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 2nd Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps)
- 3rd Volunteer Battalion (formerly 3rd Somersetshire Rifle Volunteer Corps)
The two regular battalions continued the system of alternating between home and foreign stations:
| 1st Battalion | 2nd Battalion |
|---|---|
| Ireland 1881–1886 | India 1881–1884 |
| Burma 1884–1887 | |
| England 1886–1891 | India 1887–1894 |
| Gibraltar 1891–1893 | |
| India 1893–1908 | England 1894–1895, Guernsey 1895–1897, England 1897–1899 |
| South Africa 1899–1903 | |
| England 1903–1908 | |
| England 1908–1914 | Malta 1908–1911 |
| China 1911–1913 | |
| India 1913–1914 |
Actions in India and Burma
The 2nd Battalion took part in the Third Anglo-Burmese WarThird Anglo-Burmese War
The Third Anglo-Burmese War was a conflict that took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance and insurgency continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British...
of 1885 to 1887. Following an initial invasion, the battalion spent two years broken up into small groups pacifying the inhabitants of the country. Whil the unit lost only 17 men in combat, 150 were to die from disease.
During its period in India, the 1st Battalion was mostly stationed in the North West Frontier Province, and took part in First Mohmand Campaign
First Mohmand Campaign
The First Mohmand Campaign was a British military campaign against the Mohmands from 1897 to 1898.-Background:The Mohmands are a Pashtun tribe who inhabit the hilly country to the north-west of Peshawar, in the North-West Frontier Province...
of 1897.
Second Boer War
In October 1899 war broke out between British EmpireBritish Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and the Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
Republics of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The 2nd Battalion landed in the Cape in December 1899, and was part of the British forces defeated at the Battle of Spion Kop
Battle of Spion Kop
The Battle of Spion Kop was fought about west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900...
in January 1900. In February of the same year the battalion helped to relieve the siege of Ladysmith
Relief of Ladysmith
When the Second Boer War broke out on 11 October 1899, the Boers had a numeric superiority within Southern Africa. They quickly invaded the British territory and laid siege to Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking...
. They spent the remainder of the conflict taking part in a number of minor actions.
Haldane reforms
The Boer War had severely stretched the resources of the British Army and had exposed the weakness of the militia and volunteers as an effective reserve force. In 1907–1908, Richard HaldaneHaldane Reforms
The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane...
, Secretary of State for War reorganised these second-line units of the army as part of a larger series of reforms. The existing militia was reduced in size and redesignated as the "Special Reserve", while the Volunteer Force
Volunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
was merged with the Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
to from a new Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
, organised into 14 infantry divisions, liable for service in wartime.
The changes were carried out under the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907
Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907
The Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the auxiliary forces of the British Army by transferring existing Volunteer and Yeomanry units into a new Territorial Force ; and disbanding the Militia to form a new Special Reserve of the...
, and came into effect on 1 April 1908. From that date the existing 3rd (Militia) Battalion was transferred to the Special Reserve, while the 4th Battalion was disbanded. The three volunteer battalions were organised and reduced to two Territorial Force battalions: the 4th based in Bath and the 5th in Taunton.
First World War
The regiment's name was again changed to the Prince Albert's (Somerset Light Infantry) in 1912.The Regiment saw active service in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, raising 20 battalions, and seeing service on the Western Front, Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
(now Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) and Palestine
Sinai and Palestine Campaign
The Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
. The new battalions were formed by the dupication of the existing Territorial Force units or by the formation of new "service" battalions.
| Battalion | Notes |
|---|---|
| 1st Battalion | In England on outbreak of war, on Western Front from August 1914 (part of 4th Division 4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom) The 4th Infantry Division is a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsular War the Crimean War , the First World War , and during the Second World War.- Napoleonic Wars :... ) |
| 2nd Battalion | In India on outbreak of war, and remained in the country (part of the 4th (Quetta) Division 1914–1917, 1st (Peshawar) Division 1917–1918. |
| 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion | Training unit through which recruits passed. Originally in Taunton, moved to Devonport Devonport, Devon Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889... in August 1914, to Derry Derry Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"... in 1917 and Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... in 1918. |
| 1/4th Battalion (TF) | The original 4th Battalion, redesignated on the formation of duplicate 2/4th in September 1914. To India in November 1914 and Mesopotamia from 1916 (part of 3rd Indian Division until September 1918, then 14th Indian Division) |
| 2/4th Battalion (TF) 2/4th (Pioneer) Battalion |
Duplicate of 4th Battalion, formed September 1914 as part of the 45th (2nd Wessex) Division. In India and the Andaman Islands Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east... from December 1914 – September 1917. To Egypt as part of the 75th Division September 1917, to France in January 1918. Converted to pioneer battalion, 34th Division June 1918. |
| 3/4th Battalion (TF) 4th (Reserve) Battalion |
Third-line duplicate of 4th Battalion, formed March 1915. Converted to reserve battalion in April 1916, remained in United Kingdom. |
| 1/5th Battalion (TF) | The original 5th Battalion, redesignated on the formation of duplicate 2/5th in September 1914. To India in November 1914 and then Egypt as part of the 75th Division from May 1917. |
| 2/5th Battalion (TF) 2/4th (Pioneer) Battalion |
Duplicate of 4th Battalion, formed September 1914 as part of the 45th (2nd Wessex) Division. In India from December 1914 where they were attached to Burma Division. |
| 3/5th Battalion (TF) 5th (Reserve) Battalion |
Third-line duplicate of 5th Battalion, formed March 1915. Converted to reserve battalion in April 1916, remained in United Kingdom. |
| 6th (Service) Battalion | Formed August 1914. To Western Front as part of 14th (Light) Division. Following heavy casualties they formed a composite unit with the 5th Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st... April 1918, returned to England for reconstruction and absorbed 13th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles.... , returned to France August 1918. |
| 7th (Service) Battalion | Formed September 1914. To Western Front as part of 20th (Light) Division July 1915. |
| 8th (Service) Battalion | Formed October 1914. To Western Front as part of 21st Division September 1915. Transferred to 37th Division 37th Division (United Kingdom) The 37th Infantry Division was a unit of the British Army during World War I. The divisional symbol was a gold horseshoe, open end up.Formed as part of the New Army, the division was established at Andover as the 44th Infantry Division in March 1915... July 1916. |
| 9th (Service) Battalion 9th (Reserve) Battalion |
Formed October 1914 as part of 33rd Division. Converted to Reserve battalion April 1915, converted to 45th Training Reserve Battalion 1916. Remained in United Kingdom. |
| 10th (Home Service) Battalion | Formed November 1916, disbanded November 1917 |
| 11th Battalion | Formed January 1917 by redesignation of 86th Provisional Battalion, TF. To France May 1918 as part of 59th Division |
| 12th (West Somerset Yeomanry) Battalion. | Formed January 1917 in Egypt by conversion of West Somerset Yeomanry West Somerset Yeomanry The West Somerset Yeomanry was formed in 1794, when King George III was on the throne, William Pitt the Younger was the Prime Minister of Great Britain and, across the English Channel, Britain was faced by a French nation that had recently guillotined its King and possessed a revolutionary army... . Part of 74th (Yeomanry) Division. To France May 1918. |
| 13th (Home Service) Battalion | Formed April 1918 to replace 11th Battalion. |
| 1st Garrison Battalion | Formed 1917. To India. |
Inter-war period
Following the armistice ending the First World War the war-raised battalions were rapidly disbanded. The regular battalions returned to the pre-war system of alternating home and foreign stations. The 1st Battalion was stationed in Northern Ireland and England, before being stationed in Egypt (1926–1928), Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(1928–1930) and India from 1930.
The 2nd Battalion, which had spent the entire war in India, fought in the brief Third Anglo-Afghan War
Third Anglo-Afghan War
The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to...
in 1919 seeing active service in Afghanistan and on the North-West Frontier. Returning to India in 1920, the battalion moved to the Sudan in 1926 and England in 1927.
The Territorial Force was reorganised to become the Territorial Army in 1920, and the 4th and 5th Battalions were reconstituted. At the same time the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion was placed in "suspended animation", and was never again embodied.
On 1 January 1921 the regimental title was changed a final time to The Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's).
Second World War
In the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Regiment raised ten battalions, six of which saw service overseas. In addition to the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions, the existing 4th and 5th Territorial Battalions formed duplicate units in 1939: the 6th and 7th Battalions. The 9th, 10th and 11th (Holding) Battalions were raised in 1940, the 30th Battalion in 1941 and the 50th (Holding) Batttalion in 1940.
The 2nd and 30th Battalions formed part of the First Army, and fought in North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
and Italy
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
. The 1st Battalion fought in Burma
Burma Campaign
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Commonwealth land forces were drawn primarily from...
and the 4th and 7th Battalions in the North-West European Campaign after the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. The other battalion to see active service was the 10th Battalion which was converted into the 7th (Light Infantry) Battalion, The Parachute Regiment in 1942 and who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. The Regiment also had responsibility for local airfields including RNAS Charlton Horethorne, where they prepared trenches, hardpoints and machine gun positions.
Post war to amalgamation
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
after its independence, departing on 28 February 1948. During the final ceremony, the battalion marched through Bombay (now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) and received a guard of honour from the newly formed Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
at the Gateway of India
Gateway of India
Its design is a combination of both Hindu and Muslim architectural styles, the arch is in Muslim style while the decorations are in Hindu style. The Gateway is built from yellow basalt and reinforced concrete. The stone was locally obtained, and the perforated screens were brought from Gwalior.The...
. The 2nd Battalion ended the war in Greece, subsequently forming part of the Allied occupation force of Austria. The two regular battalions both returned to the United Kingdom where they were amalgamated into a single 1st Battalion on 28 June 1948. This was part of a general reduction in the size of the infantry following Indian independence.
The reconstituted 1st Battalion was stationed in Germany as part of the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
from 1951–1953. From 1952–1955 it formed part of the British forces fighting in the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
, where it took part in jungle warfare
Jungle warfare
Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain.It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in many conflicts, including World War II and the...
. In its final years the battalion was involved in a number of conflicts: the anti-tank platoon formed part of the Anglo-French force that intervened in the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
of 1956. The majority of the battalion were in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, where a nationalist uprising against British rule
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
had broken out. In 1957 they returned to Germany.
In 1947 the Territorial Army was reconstituted, and the 4th Battalion was reformed. The 5th Battalion was temporarily converted to a unit of the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
at the same time, but three years later was absorbed by the 4th Battalion.
Amalgamation
The regiment amalgamated with the Duke of Cornwall's Light InfantryDuke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
in 1959 to form the Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry
The Somerset and Cornwall Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.It was formed in 1959 by the merger of two regiments: The Somerset Light Infantry and The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry...
. This, in turn, amalgamated with the three other regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade
Light Infantry Brigade
The Light Infantry Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1968. The Brigade administered the regular English light infantry regiments....
to form The Light Infantry
The Light Infantry
The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
in 1968.
The final Chapter of the Somerset Light Infantry ended on the 1st February 2007 when along with the Devonshire and Dorset Light Infantry, the Light Infantry, the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Light Infantry and the Royal Green Jackets merged to form the RIFLES
The Regiment's history is exhibited at the Somerset Military Museum
Somerset Military Museum
The Somerset Military Museum is part of the Somerset County Museum located in the 12th century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton, Somerset. It is a "registered and accredited museum" with the British Museums, Libraries, and Archives Council, and is a part of the Museum of Somerset. The...
which is a part of the Somerset County Museum
Somerset County Museum
The Museum of Somerset is located in the 12th century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton in the county of Somerset, England. The museum is run by Somerset County Council and includes objects initially collected by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society who own the...
at Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle
Taunton Castle is a castle built to defend the town of Taunton, Somerset, England.It has origins in the Anglo Saxon period and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of Winchester...
.
Battle honours
The regiment was awarded the following battle honourBattle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s for display on the colours:
Displayed on the regimental colours
- Gibraltar 1704–5
- Dettingen
- Martinique 1809
- Ava
- Ghuznee 1839
- Affghanistan 1839 (sicSicSic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) - Cabool 1842
- Sevastopol
- South Africa 1878–9
- Burma 1885–87
- Relief of Ladysmith
- South Africa 1899–1902
- Afghanistan 1919
- The sphinx superscribed "Egypt"
- A mural crown superscribed "Jellalabad"
First World War
Battle honours in bold were selected for display on the King's/Queen's Colours.
- Le CateauBattle of Le CateauThe Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
- Retreat from MonsGreat RetreatThe Great Retreat, also known as the Retreat from Mons, is the name given to the long, fighting retreat by Allied forces to the River Marne, on the Western Front early in World War I, after their holding action against the Imperial German Armies at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914...
- Marne 1914First Battle of the MarneThe Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
'18Second Battle of the MarneThe Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties... - Aisne 1914First Battle of the AisneThe First Battle of the Aisne was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army & Second Army as they retreated after the First Battle of the Marne earlier in September 1914...
- Armentières 1914Battle of ArmentièresThis battle was part of Race to Sea campaign. During this battle the British successfully held the line in their sector, against repeated German assaults.To the south it merged into the battle of La Bassée, to the north into the battle of Messines....
- Ypres 1915Second Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
'17 '18Fifth Battle of YpresThe Fifth Battle of Ypres is the unofficial name used to identify a series of battles in northern France and southern Belgium from late September through October 1918.... - St. Julien
- Frezenberg
- Bellewaarde
- Hooge 1915
- LoosBattle of LoosThe Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
- Mount SorrelBattle of Mont SorrelThe Battle of Mont Sorrel was a localized conflict of World War I between three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German Fourth Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Belgium, from 2 June 1916 to 14 June 1916.In an effort to pull British resources from the observed...
- Somme 1916 '18Second Battle of the Somme (1918)During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
- Albert 1916Battle of Albert (1916)The Battle of Albert, 1 July – 13 July 1916, was the opening phase of the British and French offensive that became the Battle of the Somme.-Haig's desire to break through versus Rawlinson's "bite and hold":...
'18Battle of Albert (1918)Battle of Albert was the third battle by that name fought during World War I, following the First Battle of Albert, and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart... - Delville Wood
- GuillemontBattle of GuillemontThe Battle of Guillemont was a British assault on the German-held village of Guillemont during the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Guillemont lay on the right flank of the British sector where it linked with French forces and by holding it, the Germans prevented the Allied armies from operating in...
- Flers-CourceletteBattle of Flers-CourceletteThe Battle of Flers-Courcelette, was a battle within the Franco-British Somme Offensive which took place in the summer and autumn of 1916. Launched on the 15th of September 1916 the battle went on for one week. Flers-Courcelette began with the overall objective of cutting a hole in the German...
- MorvalBattle of MorvalThe Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
- Le TransloyBattle of Le TransloyThe Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the 1916 Battle of the Somme.-Prelude:With the successful conclusion of the preceding Battle of Morval at the end of September, the Fourth Army of Lieutenant General Henry Rawlinson had finally captured the...
- Ancre 1916Battle of the AncreThe Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
'18Operation MichaelOperation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France... - Arras 1917Battle of Arras (1917)The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
'18 - Vimy 1917Battle of Vimy RidgeThe Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
- Scarpe 1917 '18Battle of the Scarpe (1918)The Battle of the Scarpe was a World War I battle that took place during the Hundred Days Offensive between 26 and 30 August 1918.-26 August:The Canadian Corps advanced over 5 kilometers and captured the towns of Monchy-le-Preux and Wancourt.Lt...
- Arleux
- Langemarck 1917
- Menin Road
- Polygon WoodBattle of Polygon WoodThe Battle of Polygon Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I. The battle was fought near Ypres, Belgium, in an area named the Polygon Wood after the layout of the area...
- BroodseindeBattle of BroodseindeThe Battle of Broodseinde was the most successful attack of the Battle of Passchendaele. Using the "bite and hold" tactic , the Allied forces conducted an attack on well-entrenched German forces and showed that it was possible for the allies to overcome even the stoutest German...
- PoelcappelleBattle of PoelcappelleThe Battle of Poelcappelle marked the end of highly successful British attacks during the Battle of Passchendaele. Pitting the attacking forces against relatively intact German defences in rain and muddy conditions like those in August, the main attack was a failure and only the diversionary attack...
- Passchendaele
- Cambrai 1917 '18Battle of Cambrai (1918)The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
- St. QuentinOperation MichaelOperation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
- Bapaume 1918Second Battle of BapaumeThe Second Battle of Bapaume was a battle of World War I that took place at Bapaume, Francebetween 21 August and 3 September 1918. It followed the Battle of Amiens and is also referred to as the second phase of that battle...
- RosièresSecond Battle of the Somme (1918)During the First World War, the Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought on the Western Front from the end of the summer, in the basin of the Somme River...
- AvreOperation MichaelOperation Michael was a First World War German military operation that began the Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France...
- LysHundred Days OffensiveThe Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives against the Central Powers on the Western Front from 8 August to 11 November 1918, beginning with the Battle of Amiens. The offensive forced the German armies to retreat...
- Hazebrouck
- Béthune
- Soissonais-OurqBattle of Soissons (1918)The Battle of Soissons was a World War I battle, waged during 18 July to 22 July 1918, between the French and the German armies....
- Drocourt-Quéant
- Hindenburg LineHindenburg LineThe Hindenburg Line was a vast system of defences in northeastern France during World War I. It was constructed by the Germans during the winter of 1916–17. The line stretched from Lens to beyond Verdun...
- HavrincourtBattle of Havrincourt- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
- ÉpehyBattle of EpéhyThe Battle of Épehy was a World War I battle fought on 18 September 1918, involving the British Fourth Army against German outpost positions in front of the Hindenburg Line.- Prelude :...
- Canal du NordBattle of the Canal du NordThe Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
- CourtraiBattle of Courtrai (1918)The Battle of Courtrai was one of a series of offensives in northern France and southern Belgium that took place in late September and October 1918.- Background :...
- SellePursuit to the SelleThe Pursuit to the Selle, a portion of which is referred to as the Battle of the Selle, was a series of skirmishes between allied forces and the German Army, fought during what is known as The Last Hundred Days of World War I, and which occurred after the Second Battle of Cambrai.The pursuit began...
- ValenciennesValenciennesValenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
- SambreBattle of the Sambre (1918)The Second Battle of the Sambre was part of the final European Allied offensives of World War I.-Background:...
- France and Flanders 1914–18Western Front (World War I)Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
- GazaSecond Battle of GazaThe Second Battle of Gaza, fought in southern Palestine during the First World War, was another attempt mounted by British Empire forces to break Ottoman defences along the Gaza-Beersheba line...
- El MugharBattle of Mughar RidgeThe Battle of El Mughar Ridge , took place on 13 November 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War...
- Nebi SamwilNabi SamwilAn-Nabi Samwil also al-Nabi Samuil is a Palestinian village of nearly 220 inhabitants in the West Bank, within the Jerusalem Governorate, located four kilometers north of Jerusalem...
- JerusalemBattle of Jerusalem (1917)The Battle of Jerusalem developed from 17 November with fighting continuing until 30 December 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I...
- MegiddoMegiddo (battle honour)Megiddo is a battle honour awarded to units of the British Army, Royal Air Force and British Empire forces which successfully participated in the Battle of Megiddo in 1918 during the Palestine Campaign of the First World War....
- SharonMegiddo (battle honour)Megiddo is a battle honour awarded to units of the British Army, Royal Air Force and British Empire forces which successfully participated in the Battle of Megiddo in 1918 during the Palestine Campaign of the First World War....
- Palestine 1917 '18Sinai and Palestine CampaignThe Sinai and Palestine Campaigns took place in the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. A series of battles were fought between British Empire, German Empire and Ottoman Empire forces from 26 January 1915 to 31 October 1918, when the Armistice of Mudros was signed between the Ottoman Empire and...
- Tigris 1916TigrisThe Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
- SharqatBattle of SharqatThe Battle of Sharqat was between the British and the Ottoman Empire in the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I, which became the final conflict that ended as a result of the signing of armistice....
- Mesopotamia 1916–18Mesopotamian CampaignThe Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
- N.W. Frontier India 1915Operations against the Mohmands, Bunerwals and SwatisThe Operations against the Mohmands, Bunerwals and Swatis were carried out by the Indian Army during World War I. The first operation began at the start of 1915, with a raid by the Mohmand tribe near the Shabkadr Fort in Peshawar...
Second World War
Battle honours in bold were selected for display on the King's/Queen's Colours.
- OdonOperation EpsomOperation Epsom, also known as the First Battle of the Odon, was a Second World War British offensive that took place between 26 and 30 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy...
- CaenBattle for CaenThe Battle for Caen from June-August 1944 was a battle between Allied and German forces during the Battle of Normandy....
- Hill 112
- Mont PinconOperation BluecoatOperation Bluecoat was an attack by the British Second Army at the Battle of Normandy during the Second World War, from 30 July – 7 August 1944. The geographical objectives of the attack were to secure the key road junction of Vire and the high ground of Mont Pinçon...
- Noireau Crossing
- Seine 1944
- Nederrijn
- Geilenkirchen
- Roer
- Rhineland
- Cleve
- Goch
- Hochwald
- Xanten
- Rhine
- Bremen
- North-West Europe 1944–45
- Cassino II
- Trasimene Line
- Arezzo
- Advance to Florence
- Capture of Forli
- Cosina Canal Crossing
- Italy 1944–45
- Athens
- Greece 1944–45
- North Arakan
- Buthidaung
- Ngakyedauk Pass
- Burma 1943–44
Victoria Cross recipients
- Lieutenant George Albert CairnsGeorge Albert CairnsGeorge Albert Cairns VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
- Private Patrick CarlinPatrick CarlinPatrick Carlin VC , of Belfast, County Antrim, was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-VC action:...
- Major William Knox LeetWilliam Knox LeetWilliam Knox-Leet VC CB , was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- Sergeant William Napier
- Private Thomas Henry SageThomas Henry SageThomas Henry Sage VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
Dress and insignia
Facings
From its establishment in 1685 the regiment had a red coat with yellow facings. This was originally the colour of the cloth lining of the coat which appeared in the turned back cuffs, skirts and lapels. Later, as uniform styles changed it became the colour of the collar and cuffs of the jacket or tunic. A royal warrantRoyal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
of 1751 first regulated the facing colours of the "Marching Regiments of Foot". Those of the 13th Foot or Lieutenant-General Pulteney's Regiment was given as "philemot" yellow, a description repeated in the next clothing regulation of 1768. "Philemot" was a corruption of the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
feuille morte or "dead leaf", a shade of yellow approximating to that of a faded (Autumn) leaf. When the 13th Foot was given the title "Prince Albert's" in 1842 it became a "royal" regiment, and the facings were changed to dark blue. The braid and lace worn on officers' coats was silver until 1830 and thereafter gold. It had a black line threaded through it.
Sergeants' sash
A distinction unique to the regiment was that the warrant officers and sergeants wore their sashes over the left shoulder and tied on the right side, in the same manner as officers. This commemorated the regiment's stand at Culloden, where the large number of casualties to officers led to the sergeants taking command. This was authorised in 1865, although appears to have been worn earlier without authority. In 1898 officers of all regiments were ordered to wear the sash knotted on the left side, with the exception of the Somerset Light Infantry who were permitted to continue with the knot on the right.Light infantry distinctions
In 1822 the regiment was granted light infantry distinctions, which survived in the full dress of 1914 as a dark green home service helmet (instead of the dark blue of line infantry) and a bugle-horn incorporated in its badge. The forage cap and postwar No.1 dress uniform worn by the regiment was also dark green.Badges
The first distinctive badge awarded to the regiment was the sphinx for service in Egypt, authorised in 1802. From 1814 a stringed bugle-horn had been the approved badge of light infantry and rifle regiments. When the 13th Foot were converted to light infantry in 1822 the badge adopted for the shakoShako
A shako is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a peak or visor and sometimes tapered at the top...
head-dress was a "bugle-horn with strings with the numerals 13 in the centre and surmounted by the Sphinx". When a new model of shako was adopted in 1844 a mural crown and scroll inscribed "Jellalabad" were added. Similar devices were used on the plate of the home service helmet adopted in 1878. In 1898, when khaki
Khaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
service dress was introduced, a metal badge was designed for the new slouch hat
Slouch hat
A slouch hat is a wide-brimmed felt or cloth hat with a chinstrap, most commonly worn as part of a military uniform. It is a survivor of the felt hats worn by certain 18th century armies. Since then, the slouch hat has been worn by military personnel from many nations including Australia, Britain,...
. This consisted of a bugle surmounted by a mural crown above which was a scroll inscribed "Jellalabad". The cypher "PA" for Prince Albert was placed within the strings of the bugle horn. This remained the regiment's cap badge on various forms of head-dress until amalgamation.
External links
- Somerset Light Infantry on Light Infantry.org.uk